A Cry Amongst Silence
by Sonomi-chan
Summary: Kari is having visions of a new darkness and only wants the help of her big brother to get her through. Will he be able to save her? Sorry, summary sucks. This is NOT a romance between them. It's merely the bond two siblings share. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

I've been thinking of making a story between these two for a very long time and I'm now just getting around to it. Enjoy!

**Note: This is not incest. They are merely very close, as it shows in the anime.**

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"…and those were the events that led to the First World War."

Kari sighed as she continued copying the notes on the board. It was another boring Monday and she was stuck in first period history with the rest of her peers, writing the same boring notes that they took down every day. The class let out a collective sigh as the teacher asked them to turn to the next chapter, but Kari's mind was far from the lesson.

She was tired. She had been exhausted for the past week. Her sleep was plagued with nightmares of her time at the dark ocean, as well as a new darkness that she had sensed a few days ago. Not only that, but she desperately needed to tell someone about her visions before she went insane. Not just any person, though. Not even all the digi-destined. No, she had to tell the one person she knew would be able to do something about it. Who would be able to make her feel safe and happy.

Tai

But he wasn't there. He went to soccer camp in Kyoto and wouldn't be back for another few days, at the very least. And he left his cell at home by accident and she didn't know the number to the camp, so there was no way she could get in touch with her big brother. She would have to endure the pain and loneliness until then.

That thought alone caused her head to ache and her stomach to churn. She could no longer decipher her teacher's words and her world began to spin as she felt herself falling deeper into the darkness.

_Tai…I need you. I need you to help me fight the darkness. I can't do it by myself! Tai!!_

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Tai nearly missed the ball as he kicked it in the direction of the goal.

_Kari?_

He heard her. There was no doubt in his mind that she called out to him and that she needed him. He didn't like the desperation he'd heard in her voice, and he also didn't like the sickness he felt from her.

Ever since he could remember, he and his little sister had always had a connection. They could sense things about one another and on some occasions, when the situation really called for it, they could hear one another if they called. That's how he was always there to protect her and know exactly what she was feeling all the time. He learned from experience never to ignore or brush off any bad feeling he felt, no matter how farfetched or out of the ordinary they might be.

_Tai, I need you…I don't want to feel like this anymore. Please help!_

"Hey, Tai! Did you even hear what play we're doing right now?"

He shook his head and looked up to see his coach and his teammates in a triangular formation, ball in the middle waiting to be passed.

"I'm sorry, coach. I've got to go."

"What?! What do you mean? You have a big game back in Odaiba on Saturday and I promised your coach his star player would be in top shape!" He yelled as Tai retreated back to the locker room to pack his bag.

"I'm coming, Kari. Just hang on."

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"I will not tolerate sleeping in my classroom, Ms. Kamiya. Please sit up and pay attention."

Kari was a wreck; she was nauseous and had the worst headache of her life in the span of a few minutes. Her body felt numb and her breath came out in short gasps. The panic attack was coming.

"I'm sorry, sir." She replied as she attempted to keep her head up and pay attention to the lesson. Her attempts failed, for she almost fell from her seat because of the discomfort it caused her. She could take no more of this. If she stayed any longer she knew she would pass out.

"Sir, I need to see the nurse please."

"Take the pass. Do you need an escort?" He asked while retrieving the pass from his desk. Kari stood and walked dizzily over to get it. Her teacher looked on in concern.

"No, sir." She took the pass gratefully and wobbled out of the room.

The hall looked like a 3-D image to her blurry eyes as she made her way through to the nurse's office. She'd never had that happen before, which worried her, considering she thought the scubamon in the dark ocean made her feel bad.

_This darkness is strong, and it's trying to attack me right now. If it can break through my light barrier, then… Oh, Tai…please, come back soon._

She glanced at the clock to see that it was 9:45. There was no way Tai could possibly even call her right now because of the long hours he had to put in at camp. Their soccer team was going to the city finals, and Tai was going to be the one to lead them to victory. She felt badly for calling out to him. She knew he heard her, but she didn't know if he responded or not, meaning she had no hope of telling him what she was feeling at the moment.

She felt useless. Ever since she was old enough to talk, she would always call for her big brother. Even if he was mean to her, or if she was mad at him, he would always be the first name out of her mouth when she needed something. And now, at the age of thirteen, that pattern still hadn't changed. She still called out to him, expecting him to drop whatever he was doing to tend to her needs.

Those thoughts made her feel even worst. She knew he would come to her regardless of whether she called or not because of the special bond they shared, but the last thing she wanted to do was to hold him back, which was what she felt like she was doing.

She eventually made it to the nurse's office and laid on one of the cots in the corner. She could barely breathe at all, though to anyone else her breathing appeared normal, albeit a bit raspy. She also felt that her head would explode and that she would vomit at any moment. It took all of the energy she possessed to ask the nurse to call her parents so she could go home for the rest of the day. She couldn't go on like she was.

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Tai exited the train station and proceeded down the street towards his apartment. Even though he knew she wasn't home, he had no choice but to go there. How could he explain to his coach and teachers that he left camp early because he heard his little sister's voice in his head asking for help? He didn't think that would go well with the administration—or Kari's teacher, for that matter.

He looked at his watch to see that it was around 12:45 p.m, which meant rush hour just started. He figured he'd make himself a sandwich when he got home and just watch t.v until Kari came home from school.

_Assuming she gets home, that is._

Tai shook his head at his negative thoughts. He was beyond worried; he was terrified. The problem was that he had no idea why he was so afraid. Kari had called out to him before, sounding the same as she had this morning, and it was over something that wasn't very serious. But he knew this time was different. This time he could _feel _the pain he knew she was in, and he couldn't stand it.

He walked towards his building and paused at the entrance, noticing the green car parked on the street.

_Why's mom home? Great, I can't go upstairs now. If she sees me, she'll lose it. I can't afford to get in trouble right now._

He moved over so he was behind a bush and watched as she walked down to the car and drove off after a few minutes. Tai sighed in relief, thankful that he didn't have to stay outside with his heavy soccer gear or sneak upstairs and stand in the hallway until she left.

He wasted no time entering the complex and taking the elevator up. His gear was heavy and it was almost one in the afternoon. He hadn't eaten anything all day, not that he really could with all the worrying he'd done. He really hoped his sister was alright. He wouldn't be able to relax unless he checked on her and saw for himself.

He made it to the door and put the key in, though it made no difference because the door was unlocked. Tai raised an eyebrow at that. The only time the door was left unlocked was if someone forgot to lock it, someone needed to come in for something, or if someone was already home. He knew from experience that the first two almost never happened because one of them would always be home when someone came by, and his mother was the type of person to always be safe than sorry. So that left the last exception.

_I didn't see dad's car outside, and mom just left 5 minutes ago. So that means....but why?_

He opened the door and stepped inside, leaving his shoes and gear next to the door. The living room and kitchen area were completely empty, the only sign of activity being the pot of soup on the stove that was still somewhat hot.

He continued walking around and eventually deemed the house safe after a thorough inspection. The footsteps approaching the living room reminded him of why he was home in the first place.

"Did you forget something, mom?" She asked softly. She'd changed into a pair of pink sweatpants and a white tank top with only her socks on her feet. Her clips were out of her hair, making the little strands of hair sit on her forehead. Her skin was pale and looked clammy and her eyes had lost the stunning reddish glow they normally had. Basically, she looked sick.

Tai noticed her appearance as well and immediately knew that he was right in coming home. It was just the two of them now.

Tai_?_

She called, seeing his form in the hallways behind the couch.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to all of my lovely reviewers! Your support means alot to me. Even the kinda weird ones.lol. You are all loved. Enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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"Kari."

She ran through the living room and into his out stretched arms, crying the tears she'd been holding in for all those days. Tai let her cry, knowing she needed to get everything out of her system before she told him exactly what was wrong. That was just the way she was—a simple creature of habit.

Tai lifted her up and brought her back into their bedroom. He sat on her bed and positioned her in his lap, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder while she continued to cry. He rocked her back and forth as he rubbed her back, his method of calming her down all his life. Oh, how many times had they been in this position? Kari would be hurt, Kari would have a nightmare, mom and dad would yell at Kari (rarely), or Kari would just be having a bad day. Either way, he would always be the one comforting her, protecting her, and doing all he could to make her happy. That was how it was supposed to be.

Kari hugged him tighter, finally able to release all of the fear and frustration she'd kept bottled inside. She knew she was safe now—that she could stay in that position as long as she wanted and know that he would not complain. He offered her the security she needed to fight whatever it was she needed to conquer.

Kari's tears ceased after a few minutes and they both sat on the bed in relative silence, not wanting to bring up anything that would make the other upset. They were each just happy to be in the other's presence. The calm and happy feeling wouldn't last for long, both knew. Something big was going to hit, and it was going to rock both of them. Problem was that they didn't know if they could handle it.

"Tai?" She whispered, breaking their brief silence.

"Yeah, Kari?"

"Thank you for coming." She whispered softly, still feeling ashamed for calling him and disrupting all of his hard work for her fears.

Tai seemed to read her mind, and a slight frown found its way to his forehead. He gently wiped the tears from her eyes and moved her from his lap to the bed so he had a better view of her face.

Her eyes had a fear in them that he'd never seen before, and her face resembled a woman of older age. He knew she shouldn't look like that. She was still a child. She shouldn't have to deal with darkness and saving the world. And now that he was back, he would make sure she never had to again.

He put his head in his hand and with the other he pinched the bridge of his nose. He was at a complete loss for what to say. Needless to say, he felt useless to her right now, and that was something that had to be fixed immediately. He had to gather his thoughts so he could help her. He had to think. What could he say to her that would make her stop worrying?

Kari stared at him as he racked his brain for what to do, and she felt like the most horrible person in the world.

_I should have just kept this to myself. Now he's in pain trying to make me feel better. I just should have kept my mouth shut._

"No!" He slammed his fist hard on the bed and looked up at her. She flinched in return.

"Y..you heard that?" She asked him, almost fearful because of his reaction.

"Look...I didn't mean to shout. I'm frustrated because I don't how to help you, Kari. It kills me to see you like this, but it hurts me even more to think you regret telling me."

She stared at her lap as he continued to speak.

"You never think about yourself. You're always more concerned about everyone around you. Always asking if they're alright when I know you're miserable; always asking if they're happy when I know you're sad; always trying to protect others when I know you're hurt. Kari, you do so much for everyone even when you're down. You don't like depending on people, I know, but I always felt better knowing that you would always come to me when you needed someone."

He paused so he could take her hands in his.

"Kari...No matter what happens, no matter how bad you think I'm feeling or how much you think it will hurt me; promise me that you will always come to me. Never, ever regret telling me anything, do you hear me?"

He said his words with so much passion that Kari couldn't help the tears from falling again. He always proved time and time again how much he loved her, and his words always touched her heart. The last thing she wanted to do was make the situation worse, but, like always, she seemed to succeed in doing just that. She didn't want him to feel this way.

Her thought process was interrupted when Tai squeezed her hands, his eyes narrowed.

"Stop doing this to yourself, Kari! You are not a burden on me or anyone else! Do you understand me? So, stop blaming yourself for every little thing."

She shook her head in indication that she's heard him and removed her hands from within his.

"Now, this isn't normal behavior for you, sis. Tell me what's been happening since I left. Or has it been happening before?"

Kari shook her head and took in a deep breath. This was going to be a long conversation.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3! I'm sorry I took too long. I completely forgot where I was going with this plot. Please Enjoy and Review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

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Kari stood and went to her desk where a single pink book lay. Tai recognized it immediately as her journal, but there was something different about it somehow. He could feel almost a dark aura emitting from it. The feeling only got stronger when she brought it to the bed and opened it to a specific passage. There was no title; only a date and a time.

"I started these entries a few days ago when it first started to happen." She started as she sat back in her seat on her bed.

"I would start having nightmares. First they would be about the dark ocean and the scubamon, and then they would get worst...darker."

Her eyes nearly clouded over from reliving her emotions from her time in the dark ocean. It was like she was drawn to the darkness sometimes. She couldn't explain it. It had nothing to do with her light energy. Sometimes she felt as if her light didn't exist at all during her nightmares. That was the part that frightened her the most.

Tai noticed her expression and a dark look made its way to his face as well. This darkness had been around ever since the very beginning. Tai had personally traced it back to the first time he and Matt had an argument, but he knew it had been around much longer then he could even imagine. The gang had noticed, of course, but most of them never experienced the true extent of darkness until after Owikawa and Myotismon's final form were taken care of. That was almost a year ago, but no one could deny that the darkness was still around, lurking in the shadows.

Tai took Kari's hand in his own, urging her to continue. He knew this was very difficult, considering she had kept it a secret for longer than she was giving credit for. She squeezed his hand and took a deep breath as she broke contact and began speaking again.

"In the nightmares...the ocean would turn pitch black and the scubamon would digivolve into terribly ugly creatures. They don't want me to be their queen anymore. They want me to be their..."

She paused and took another deep breath. Even after the conversation they'd just had, she still felt hesitant about telling him this. It wasn't because she was afraid of how he would react. On the contrary, she knew exactly how he would react. He'd be furious. Be that as it may, he had to know if anything would be done about the problem.

"They want you to be their what?" He asked, mentally preparing himself for the inevitable anger he'd feel.

"Their sacrifice." She whispered as she avoided eye contact and became stiff.

It took Tai a while to get his anger controlled before he could speak again. It was more fear than anger the more he thought of it. His digital world crest of courage leadership began to kick in, and he silently knew another adventure was about to begin.

He released his hand from her now very tight grip and stood to walk to the other side of their bedroom.

"I'm calling all of the digi-destined, both old and new. I know that you thought I could handle this by myself, but I would be lying if I said I could."

She stared up at him, her face portraying a look nothing short of pure shock. Never in her life had she ever remembered hearing her brother tell her that he could not do something by himself. He noticed her look and put his hand up in front of him in a motion for her not to say a word.

"Kari...I am a total wreck right now. I'm not only angry and afraid, but I am also completely unstable at the moment. If you or anyone else were to ask me what we should do right now, I would go to the digital world myself and make a deal with whatever devil Digimon is out there in order to take your place.

"You're my little sister, the Keeper of Light. I can't damage what chances we have in defeating this evil or risk putting you in anymore danger. That would be the result if I chose to act alone. We need help."

Kari still had a deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. She was mainly concerned with T.K finding out. He was the one who saved her from the dark ocean when she first encountered it. If this was breaking Tai, T.K would definitely be feeling similar effects. She hated seeing the two guys she cared about the most being this hurt because of her. She also knew that what he said was completely dead on. They had no choice but to ask for help. They needed the people they loved and trusted. They needed Sora, Matt, and Ken; those who had first hand experiences with the darkness. They needed Yolie, Cody, T.K, Joe, Izzy, Mimi, and Davis; those who, even though haven't had as much experience, knew enough to be able to think without painful memories resurfacing and clouding judgments.

"You're right, Tai. We do need all of them." She gave him a smile and stood.

"All I ask is that we not call them tonight. I don't know if I can handle repeating everything to a room full of people tonight. Can this wait until tomorrow?"

"Sure Kari." He said as she walked toward him and enveloped him in a tight hug. "We can do it whenever you are ready."

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	4. Chapter 4

Hi everyone! I have a feeling that updates will be a bit more frequent. I have a new job that allows me a lot of time to write and do as I please. Hopefully I can keep chapters at this length or maybe make them even longer. Hope you enjoy this. Please review!

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She smiled at him once more before going back to the bed and lying down. Tai waited for her to get comfortable before closing the diary and putting it back in her dresser drawer. He didn't want anything to interfere with her getting some much needed rest, no matter how badly he wanted to read the passage. He turned back to face her just as her eyes fell closed. After tucking her in—something he hadn't done in years—he left the room and made his way to the kitchen. It had been a long day already and he desperately needed some food and a nap in order to function later in the afternoon.

Tai hadn't even known he fell asleep until he was suddenly awoken to the sound of Kari's voice calling his name.

"Mom and dad are on their way home." She said, her voice almost quivering. Their parents did not sound happy on the phone, and she had a good idea as to why. Even though she knew they were going to find out that Tai was home eventually, she still felt that it was her fault all of this was going on.

Once his eyes focused to the light he looked at the clock on the wall in the kitchen. He had slept a very long time. It was almost eight in the evening, which meant that their father was picking up their mother from her long shift at work. Tai looked back over at Kari and saw her bite her bottom lip. That small habit alone was enough to make Tai realize that his parents knew he was home.

He sat up and stretched as he stifled a yawn. He wasn't too concerned about the situation. He had no regrets about coming home for her. He would rather his parents be angry than for her to be harmed. Besides, he didn't even need to go to that soccer prep camp, in his opinion. He was perfectly capable of dominating the rival team without any outside training.

Tai stirred from his thoughts when he felt Kari sit beside him on the couch.

"Don't worry," he assured as he put his arm around her shoulder. "They won't be mad for long. I'll just make up something. Besides, the camp officially ended yesterday. I was just going to stay longer for some extra practice."

She gave him a half smile and nodded her head in acceptance. She still felt guilty, but she knew there was nothing that could be done about it.

Just as Tai began running excuses through his head, the front door opened and his parents came through the entrance. His father looked happy to see him home safely, but his mother's face was flushed and she looked none too happy to see him sitting in the living room.

She got the call from Tai's coach an hour before telling her that the coach at the camp called to say that her son ran off that morning and hadn't been seen since. All kinds of thoughts ran through her mind and she'd been worried sick. She called the camp herself and when the camp coach told her he was headed in the direction of the train station, her intuition told her where she would find him. Home was the only obvious choice. What she didn't understand, however, was _why_ he left to come back without telling anyone.

Mrs. Kamiya walked closer to him and started her inquiries.

"Tai! What are you doing back? Why aren't you still at camp?"

Tai put his hands in front of him as a sign of surrender.

"Sorry mom. I have a good reason for coming back." He countered.

Mrs. Kamiya placed her hands on her hips and looked at him, clearly anticipating the excuse he would come up with. Tai sweat dropped at the look she was giving him.

"Mom, it's no big deal. I was there and I realized that I..." He wracked his brain to think of a good enough excuse. He went through all he had done that passed week and then remember how tired and bruised he felt. That excuse would just have to do. He was all out of material at the moment.

"Well?" She asked.

"I was just so exhausted, mom. I had a lot of stuff on my mind and I guess I felt like being home and practicing on my own would be the best thing I could do for myself. I didn't want to come back for the big game and be completely tired just because I've been training non-stop for three days."

He took a deep breath as his mother and father processed his words. Even if that wasn't the most believable excuse in the world, it did hold some truth. He was very tired from a week of non-stop soccer. He didn't want to train so much that he ended up losing his love for the sport (not that that would ever happen). He looked up again to see his mother sigh and shake her head at him.

"Well, regardless of how you felt, you should have told someone. You had me and your father worried."

Mr. Kamiya came from the kitchen with a freshly made sandwich and put a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Honey, he's home and safe. That's what really matters right now. Give the kid a break. As hard as he was training, I'm surprised he didn't use up his savings and go to a hot spring resort."

Tai smiled as his father winked at him. Mrs. Kamiya couldn't help but smile at that comment and follow her husband's advice. Letting Tai off the hook for the time, Mrs. Kamiya walked up to Kari and placed her hand against the girl's forehead.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Mrs. Kamiya averted her attention to Tai long enough to ask if he'd been taking proper care of her since he'd been home.

Kari giggled as she saw Tai almost panic at the tone their mother used.

"Of course, mom!" He said very seriously. That was exactly what he was doing. The only thing about this situation that was frustrating to him was that he couldn't tell his parents what was going on. Yes, they knew about digimon and the digital world, but aside from Myotismon coming to Odaiba and all of the chaos he caused, they had no idea what other things the didgidestined had to go through. Even through the Oikawa saga, their parents had no clue about the hardships they had to overcome. They saw two of the major dangers that the digidestined had to face, but they never saw the smaller, more menacing horrors they faced the remainder of the times. The dark ocean may not have been one of their most dangerous enemies, but they left a lasting effect on Kari. That in turn affected Tai, and especially T.K.

T.K and Kari had been officially dating for a few months now, much to Davis's devastation. Both could no longer pretend nothing was between them after Kari's first encounter with the Dark Ocean. He came over the night after the incident and sat Kari down and professed to her everything he had been holding in since the both of them were in middle school.

Tai smiled at the memory. T.K was the only one he deemed worthy of dating his precious little sister. Davis was a good friend and all, but he didn't trust him with Kari's safety as willingly as he trusted T.K. The only thing Davis seemed to be able to accomplish was making Kari laugh...at his own expense. T.K and Kari had something that only years of friendship and experience could build. Both shared an unbreakable bond of loyalty to the other, and no matter how hard Davis tried, he could never break it.

Tai decided to leave Kari to his mother and go make the calls to the digidestined. He already felt useless to her; at least calling would make feel somewhat needed until everyone else was involved. He decided that Matt and T.K should be the first to be called.

~Takaishi Residence~

"...and then you just repeat the same formula as number 18, and you've finished completing the square."

"Boys!" Ms. Takaishi called from the kitchen. T.K looked up from his math homework and Matt, whose gaze was already directed at his mother, looked on quizzically.

"Tai is on the phone. He said he wants to talk to both of you."

Matt and T.K exchanged questioning looks before informing their mom that they would be taking the call upstairs.

As soon as T.K entered his bedroom he dove for the cordless phone on his bedside table. He had his suspicions about what this late night phone call would be about. Both T.K and Matt knew that Kari was involved somehow. Tai told all the digidestined that he would be away this week. Who else could break Tai away from soccer aside from Kari?

"What's up, Tai?" T.K asked, the anxiousness evident in his voice as he held the phone a little away from his ear so Matt could listen in.

"Hey guys. I'm holding an emergency meeting at my house immediately after school."

"What's going on?" Matt asked.

"I don't know all of the details, but something is out to get Kari."

T.K's face turned stern as his worst fears were confirmed. Matt put a hand on T.K's shoulder for support before telling Tai that they'd be there and volunteering to call everyone else while he took care of Kari. Tai thanked them both before hanging up, leaving them to themselves. Before T.K could panic, Matt sat him down on his bed and knelt before him.

"Look T.K." He started. "Try not to worry yourself about this all night. I want you to go back downstairs and help mom with the rest of the dishes while I call everyone."

T.K was about to protest; he wanted to tell Matt that he had every right to worry right now. Kari was one of the most important people in his life. Truthfully, he had been worried about her before Tai's phone call. Completing the square was one of the easiest things in the world to him. The fact that he had to ask Matt that simple question on his homework just confirmed that fact.

"T.K, I'm only telling you this because I know you. You'll spend all night thinking about this. You have a lot of things to do tomorrow, and you won't have the energy to emotionally handle the problem tomorrow if you keep going through the 'what-if's' in your head tonight."

T.K took a deep breath as he nodded his head at his older brother. He was right. T.K was always considered the logical, clear headed one of the group along with Cody. He wouldn't be any good to Kari if he was freaking out about the situation before he knew anything about it.

He stood and hugged his big brother before promising not to think too much tonight and going down to help his mother.

Matt waited for him to leave before running his hand through his blond hair and sitting at T.K's desk. It was already nearing nine in the evening. He decided to start with Cody and work his way by age. He wasn't the one to really do any of the calling, so he wasn't sure who had which curfew. After he called them all he would go check on T.K one more time before taking his leave and making his way back home.


	5. Chapter 5

Enjoy! Read and Review! This chapter is extra long because I have boring classes. Boring classes time to write! Lol

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The next morning came excruciatingly slow for T.K. He hadn't gotten a single wink of sleep the whole night because of his anxiety over his girlfriend. Wracking his fingers through his hair, he stood from his bed and rushed into the bathroom to hurriedly brush his teeth and groom himself. He then went back to his room and dressed in a pair of jeans and long sleeve green polo.

All the while, his mind kept filling itself with worst-case scenarios. He couldn't help thinking that something completely awful was going to happen to Kari; something he couldn't help her with.

What if the enemy was too strong? What if it already gotten to her and she was slowly dying? What if the enemy attacked and he couldn't save her in time? What if he never saw her again...?

Those were the questions swimming through T.K.'s head.

He forced himself to stop thinking such morbid thoughts as he stood from his bed. Matt was right; it didn't help anyone if he worried himself over the situation before he knew anything about it. He made a promise to himself that he would not worry until he knew there was something to worry about.

But...didn't this constitute as something to worry about?

He shook his head, willing the negative thoughts to leave. School would distract him. He would be so swamped with work that he wouldn't have the energy to think, much less worry.

Good, he told himself. And then once school is out, I'll go early to see her and get the whole story so I can come up with solutions to the problem. Everything will be alright.

With one last look in the mirror, he put his hat on, said goodbye to his mother, and headed to school.

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T.K. walked into homeroom and his gaze immediately drifted to his girlfriend's empty seat. Even though there were ten minutes left until homeroom officially started, he knew she would not be coming to school today.

His spirits fell and his heart ached at this realization. Now, _this_ was cause to worry. The rational side of his mind knew she was sick. She left school early yesterday because she wasn't feeling well. It was only safe to assume that she still hadn't recovered. But Tai's phone call last night shed light on things he never knew. Now he was wondering whether her being sick had to do with whatever was after her.

Just thinking about someone hurting his love made his blood boil and he felt rage he'd never experience before. He didn't realize his hands were balled into fists until he felt the pressure of his nails dig into his palms. He reluctantly un-balled his fists and instead calmly—or, as calmly as he could—walked to his desk and sat down.

Davis saw him come in from his place on the other side of the room, and he too saw the tension T.K. radiated. He thought about calling over to ask what was bothering him, but reality kicked in and he remembered the events from yesterday.

T.K. had been sent to run errands for the teacher when Kari got sick. Davis remembered that her symptoms showed themselves in their entirety as soon as his presence was gone. He couldn't decide whether her sickness intensified because she didn't want T.K. to notice just how bad she was, or if him leaving was the cause. Either way, she was gone before T.K. returned, and when he found out what happened he stayed quiet and didn't speak for the rest of the day.

That worried Davis. T.K. was usually the optimist of the group, and through all the time they all knew each other, Davis had never seen him look so...useless. Matt's call last night shed some much needed light on the situation, and he found himself extremely anxious. He was also angry, but his anger stemmed from reasons he knew weren't relevant to the situation they were faced with.

His anger stemmed from jealousy.

He knew T.K. and Kari were together now. It was no big secret to anyone, considering they told everyone after it happened. No matter how long ago it happened, it still hurt Davis to think about the girl he'd had feelings for since the fourth grade being with another guy. And no matter how much time goes by, he won't ever get used to it. The good that came out of their relationship was their happiness. As long as she was genuinely happy, he could be too, right?

He didn't know.

Davis lost his train of though when the bell rang and homeroom began. He wanted to know if T.K. knew more than the rest of them and decided he'd wait until lunch to ask.

* * *

T.K. had never been happier to hear the lunch bell ring in his entire life. He'd been so antsy that he couldn't focus on or retain any of the information the teacher gave on English. All through class his thoughts were plagued with worry and he didn't think he could take much more of it.

Davis saw him leave the class and went after him.

T.K. noticed Davis's presence when he heard an odd variation of his name leave the boy's mouth.

"T.J."! He yelled as he fell into step with the other digidestined.

T.K. heaved a heavy sigh at the nickname. It was bad enough that he still had another 3 hours left to be there. Why couldn't Davis just leave him alone? But he replied, nonetheless, if not out of interest, then out of courtesy.

"Not now, Davis. I'm really not in the mood to fool around".

"Neither am I." The other boy said seriously. "Matt called me last night about the meeting. I just wanted to see if you knew anything."

T.K. stopped walking when he reached the courtyard and sat on one of the benches. Davis followed suit, sitting on the opposite side with his hands behind his head and his legs stretched out in front of him. He suspected T.K. didn't really want to talk about this right now, but he really didn't care to be perfectly honest.

Kari affected _all_ of them, not just T.K., and he wanted to make that known. It was bad enough that they were together, but he felt T.K. was rubbing that fact in his face with his silent 'I'm-the-only-one-who-can-help-her' act.

He knew they had history; years of history. They went through things he probably couldn't imagine in his wildest dreams. And he was so jealous that he could scream. He wanted to know about Kari, but he couldn't help the bitterness that came out at his question.

"Why are you so worried about her, dude?" He asked as he turned halfway and put his leg under the other so he was facing the blond boy.

What little tension that had disappeared within him came rushing back as he heard Davis's question.

"What kind of question is that? Don't ask about things you don't understand."

"What don't I understand?" Davis's voice began elevating and T.K. hadn't the slightest clue as to why.

"Why don't you explain it, T.S.! You're walking around here acting like no one in this world can help her but you!"

"You want me to explain it, Davis?!" His voice rose as well. He didn't know what Davis's problem was, nor did he care at this point in conversation.

"This isn't the first time Kari's been sick!"

"No crap, T.J.! Last time she was really sick was a few years ago when we were eleven! I've seen her sick before, and I helped take care of her. What makes you so special?"

Both boys' anger was fueled by each word the other said. If things kept up, it would be bad.

"I don't care what kind of flu she had in the 5th grade! You've never seen her as sick as she was when she was eight. She hasn't _been_ that sick since she was eight!" T.K. was getting red in the face as the memories came flooding into his mind as a wave would crash onto the sand on a shore.

"Back when we were eight, she passed out in the middle of a ghost town in the digital world. And when we took her to some random house and put her in bed, Tai went out to find her medicine. He told me to take care of her and that I was the protector. He trusted me with his little sister, a privilege he never truly gave to anyone, not even Matt or Sora.

Davis listened intently; still not completely understanding what that had to do with what was going on now.

"And when everyone was gone, I sat there and I watched her. She was so helpless! Her eyes had no life in them. She was so pale and was so miserable. And through all her pain, she still had the strength and made the effort to let me know she would be okay. And she told me she trusted me with her. I was so scared, but she made me feel like I was doing some good."

T.K., who stood in the middle of his speech, sat back on the bench and put his head in his hands.

"She would have said the same thing, no matter who was watching over her. She's always been the grateful type!"

T.K. chose not to reply to that.

While T.K. was just tired of arguing, Davis felt he was just getting started. He knew he should just leave it alone, but part of his anger stemmed from him feeling left out of the loop. That and he subconsciously couldn't grasp the fact that she said that to him. He wanted to do all he could to make his point known.

"You did some good, but you weren't the only one who was helping her and was there for her."

"I know that!" Davis was taken aback at how loud he yelled that.

"You don't understand, Davis. Yes, others were helping her. Yes, she appreciated everything they did for her. But what you don't understand is that she doesn't feel comfortable asking for help. She hates being a burden on anyone. Except for me and Tai, she'd rather keep a problem secret than tell anyone else.

"I just want to _be_ there for her, because aside from Tai, I know her better than anyone ever could. And I'm too in love with her to just sit here idly, knowing she is in pain."

Davis sat there, completely shocked at what he'd just said. Had he heard him correctly? Davis shook his head as he let the phrase take control of his mind.

'_I'm too in love with her to just sit here idly.._.'

'_I'm too in love with her...'_

This hit Davis like a ton of bricks. He'd never heard T.K. say that he loved her before.

"Dude." Davis began, having no idea what he was going to say. He didn't know whether he should drop the conversation or keep arguing.

"Dude, go to her." Was all Davis could say. Looking at T.K., he could see how sorry he was for acting so selfish. And what could Davis do? If T.K. stayed, they would just keep arguing, going in circles, and absolutely nothing would be resolved. With him gone, he could think about things.

He would talk to T.K. at the meeting, when he was more rational about the situation. He wasn't wrong; he knew that. He was so confused. He was torn between his feelings for Kari and his friendship with T.K.

Davis's comment caused T.K. to lift his head.

"Your not doing anybody any good just sitting here sulking. Go to her and talk to her yourself. From what you said, I'm sure it would make you both feel better."

T.K. heard the bitter jealousy in his voice, but decided to say nothing. Kari was more important to him than his and Davis's rivalry. He would confront Davis at another time, but right now he just needed her. No one else.

"You're right, Davis. I'm not doing any good here. I'm really sorry for the way I've been acting."

T.K. stood and began making his way past Davis to the side entrance of the building. Davis remained seated.

"Don't worry about telling the teacher. I'll have my dad call and explain it."

With that, he disappeared into the building, most likely going to his locker.

Calling his father was the obvious thing to do. His mother, after the most dangerous of missions would eventually be in complete denial that her sons were off in some foreign world where they were likely to end up hurt, or sometimes worst. Telling his mom about a new threat wouldn't set well with the older woman, and he couldn't afford to be punished at a time like this.

Yes...she would punish him. Anything to keep her baby from harm, is what she would say when she tried it once. One call to Matt and that was easily squashed. His father was a lot more open-minded about the digital world. He knew the dangers well, better than his mother ever could. The difference is that Mr. Ishida trusted his sons to be alright. Their mother was just very overprotective.

What she didn't understand that everyone else did was that Matt would never let anything happen to them. Even now, as a teenager, he still felt safest when Matt was around. Like Tai with Kari, Matt was always his protector. Though this new enemy is a threat to Kari, Matt would still be around for him. The bond both brothers had with one another was so strong that neither could believe it. There were times when T.K. even thought he could hear what Matt was thinking. It was scary at first, but as time went on, it became normal. Matt never told him, but he suspected he could hear his thoughts sometimes too. Only in particularly emotional moments, however.

* * *

He reached the Kamiya residence in less than 20 minutes. Though lost in thought, his anxiousness drove him further than his rational side. He all but sprinted from school to get to her.

He was so nervous; he didn't know what to expect when he saw her.

Would she tell him what was going on? Or would it be so horrible that she didn't have the strength to talk about it?

T.K. stood outside the door for five minutes before finally gathering himself enough to knock. The sight that met him was one that always had the ability to make him smile.

Kari stood in the doorway, a surprised look gracing her face. She wore a pair of lavender sweatpants and white tank top. Her hair was slightly disheveled, but some of the color had returned to her face, which T.K. was very grateful for. Though he didn't know the extent of her illness yesterday, he did notice that she was ghostly pale.

This was a sign she was getting better. T.K. and Kari seemed to have the same mentality; Tai could make _everything_ better.

It took Kari a few seconds to get over her shock before she invited him in. T.K. took off his shoes and put his backpack down before enveloping her in a hug. Kari wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. She inhaled deeply, loving the smell of him.

She missed being in his arms so badly it almost hurt. It had only been 2 days since she felt him, and already she felt herself going through withdrawal.

All tension left her body as he held her tighter to him. No words were spoken during this exchange, nor did there need to be. Both were just relieved to know that they had one another. As much as he wanted to keep holding her though, he knew they had to break apart. He really wanted to talk to her.

She pulled away from him reluctantly and led him to her room. Once there, she held her hand up as a silent plea for him to stop outside the door. He didn't realize why until he heard a slight snore come from the top bunk bed.

He peered around the corner to see Taichi Kamiya completely knocked out. T.K. suspected that the older boy wouldn't wake up for anything, no matter how much noise anyone made.

T.K. had seen that kind of sleep before. His first time seeing it was in the digiworld, right after he, Matt and Joe found Sora in that black hole and got her out. That night, Matt's snores were so loud that even patamon's ears over his own didn't stop the piercing sound. The worst part was that Matt didn't wake up until the next morning, no matter how hard T.K. shook him.

T.K. asked Sora about it the next morning, because Matt was normally a light sleeper, and last night scared him. She told him that Gabumon said he hadn't slept at all since he left everyone after the puppetmon battle. She then explained that the reason he slept so well now was because Matt was with him again and knew he was safe, so he let his guard down.

Looking at Tai, T.K. instantly knew those two situations were similar. Another particularly loud snore broke T.K. out of his reverie and he left the doorway to sit on the couch in the living room.

"I'm sorry about the noise. I know it is probably annoying."

Kari said as she came back and sat next to him on the couch. After she made herself comfortable, she put the diary on the cushion that separated the two of them.

"It's no problem. I have to deal with Matt's snoring sometimes, too."

He looked at her pink diary and raised an eyebrow. She opened it to the same passage she showed Tai and let him read it. As soon as his eyes fell on someone trying to take her, he slammed the book shut and put it down.

He didn't want to read anymore He wasn't strong enough to. He didn't need to read about the pain she was feeling when he could clearly see it on her face.

Kari studied his features and put her hand in his open palm, which he squeezed firmly. Their eyes met and no words were exchanged.

When Tai woke up, they had a lot to discuss before the others arrived. Matt would most likely come straight from school, having already cancelled practice because of the situation. The four of them were all they needed. Even though they trusted their friends and wanted their help, part of Tai and T.K. knew they were going to take care of her together.


	6. Chapter 6

I hope you all enjoy! I don't have writer's block anymore! 3 you all

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

* * *

T.K and Kari spent the next few hours talking and watching television. Both were mentally exhausted already and didn't feel like discussing something when they would just have to repeat it later. Both decided that it would be best to relax and enjoy the little time they would have alone.

It was now nearing 2:30 in the afternoon. School would be out in 30 minutes, and soon after all of the digidestined would be at the Kamiya residence.

Kari didn't think she was ready for that.

She didn't think she was ready to put her burden on a handful of other people, no matter how well she knew them. Truthfully, all she wanted was for Tai and T.K to be the only ones involved with this.

This was selfish, she knew. But that was the only way she could ensure the safety of her friends and the security of her own conscious.

T.K felt her tense beside him and put a comforting arm across her shoulder. He wasn't sure exactly what she was thinking, but he wanted her to know that he was there for her, no matter what.

She turned to face him and gave him a slight nod. She really wasn't sure she wanted everyone to know.

Though she showed T.K and Tai her journal, what she'd written hadn't been the extent of what was going on. There were certain things, visions and emotions that she didn't feel comfortable putting in there. A journal was too open; it would never be a secure enough place to put all of her thoughts.

There were even some things that she herself forced her mind to repress.

Her thoughts were disrupted as a knock was heard from the front door.

Kari moved to stand, but sat back down when she saw Tai walk into the living room to answer it. The person standing on the doorstep was no surprise; it was Matt Ishida.

"Hey there." He greeted as he set his bag on the floor next to T.K's things and removed his shoes.

"There you are, T.K." He said as he put his hand on the younger boy's head. "I went over to the school to get you early since I knew you were so anxious, but apparently you were already gone."

T.K. smiled sheepishly as he playfully removed his brother's hand.

"And you," He turned to Tai. "You didn't even call to tell me this little delinquent was here already." His tone was teasing, which greatly eradicated the obvious tension from the room.

"I was asleep when he came by." He responded in the same tone.

He was glad Matt wasn't being as grave as everyone else in the house, but it was also weird in a way. Matt was not the type to be lighthearted in a serious situation. Actually, he was usually the one taking the seriousness to the next level.

But a part of Tai knew the reason. He'd just said that T.K was anxious last night. Knowing T.K, he probably knew there was a problem before any of them did. And the one thing that would calm T.K. down was if Matt convinced him that everything would be taken care of.

It seemed to be working. Matt saw his brother's shoulders and face relax at the attitude and overall presence of the older boy. With both Tai and Matt around, T.K felt like he was not alone.

"Well, now that you're here, Matt." Tai started, causing Matt to avert his attention from T.K. "There are some things I need to talk to you about."

"Yes, definitely." Matt replied. After one last look at the two on the couch, Matt and Tai left the living room for the security of Tai and Kari's room. Once the door shut, T.K. and Kari gave one another quizzical looks.

Both knew that Matt was probably the only one of the four who didn't know the extent of the situation. But even with his lack of information, Kari knew that he was the only one who knew more about what she was feeling than anyone else.

His time with the darkness was very hard. She remembered when it first started. She remembered how frequent his and Tai's arguments became. She also remembered how shaken he was after Joe pulled him from his depression.

A lot of people still don't know what he really went through during his time sucked in the darkness. Gabumon was the only one who saw first hand what it did to him. Matt even confessed to her that he still had nightmares sometimes. He still couldn't believe all of the dangerous thoughts that had raced through his head.

Kari didn't want to end up like that. She didn't want to keep everything buried inside to the point where lasting psychological effects were inevitable.

'That's why you told them.' She reminded herself. 'You've seen what happens if you don't say anything.'

"Well," T.K. broke the silence. "Why don't we move some of the furniture around for when the others get here?"

He stood and turned to face her, a hopeful expression on his face. He was starting to feel useless again. With Tai and Matt here, he and Kari had most of the burden lifted from their shoulders. He could sense she felt the same way.

She gave him a smile and took his outstretched hand so they could begin their task.

--------

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-------

Matt sat down on the bottom bunk as Tai got straight to business. By now, Matt's light-hearted mask had fallen and his true concern was now out in the open.

In truth, he had been just as worried about Kari as T.K. was when Tai had called last night. After making the calls, he left the apartment and began driving back home. All through the ride, his past memories began resurfacing. He could only imagine what she was going through.

Tai brought over the notebook and sat next to his best friend.

"I haven't really read through it all. I figured that we should both do it first. That way, Kari won't have to explain anything if she doesn't want to."

Matt nodded and opened the book to where the lace bookmark lay. The passage dated back a week ago.

"Tell me what you've read so far." Matt said before he read anything. He wasn't sure if he wanted to spare himself from reading the unbearable passages, or if he wanted to read them just to spare his best friend and brother any pain.

"Truthfully, I've only gotten to that one passage that said what the Scubamon want from her. I haven't had the energy to read the others yet." Tai replied.

After he spoke, he ran a frustrated hand through his hair and stared at the passage in front of him. This was a particularly lengthy passage. He gave Matt a look; he didn't want to read these by himself. If this was about anything other than his sister, this wouldn't be a problem. Matt nodded his head and, with a heavy sigh, both boys began reading.

It took them a while to finish it, and neither said a word after. Tai merely turned the page to another passage and they read that as well.

After a few more pages, the entries began getting smaller and smaller. Now the only things written were words here and thoughts there. One particular passage made Tai gasp out loud. This was one she made a few nights before.

_I'm giving them what they want. I hope Tai doesn't hate me for doing this..._

Tai grabbed the book from between him and Matt and flipped to the next page. What was she doing? What was she giving them? He hoped she wasn't thinking of going to them by herself. He looked at the time of the next passage to see that it was a few hours after the previous one was written.

_This proves it; I'm weak. I'm too weak to stay away from the darkness, and I'm even too weak to look for it. I don't know what to do..._

The passages continued like this for a few more pages until one unsettling passage came up. This one was dated two days ago.

_I fainted today and the scubamon brought me back to the dark ocean. I was in my room when it happened. They brought me to that cave and told me again what they wanted. _

_When I woke up, my clothes smelled like ocean water and my hands had remnants of sand on them... I'd never moved from my bed. I don't know what's going on._

_If they can get me while I sleep... then what am I supposed to do? I need help!_

Tai was baffled. Kari never mentioned anything about them transporting her anywhere while she slept. If they had the power to do that, then Kari had virtually no protection against them.

"This looks bad, Tai." Matt was running similar thoughts through his mind.

"How are they able to do that? The real world and the digital world are not connected that way!"

"I know, but with her digivice in her possession and the computer in close proximity, do you think maybe it was a fluke and when the link to the world opened, she was transported there by those means alone?"

"No." Tai thought for a moment. "That's never happened to either of us before. If that was the case, then that means that any of us could be transported to the digital world any time we were close enough to a computer."

"Okay, then they most likely got her there the way they did last time, which was through a somewhat unconscious state."

"But I don't understand why they didn't just _keep_ her."

Tai stood and began pacing back and forth. He was so confused.

"Last time, they just transported her in thin air. She was wide awake, but she was standing in front of the ocean."

Tai paused and looked at the journal again. Matt sat still; hand on his chin in contemplation. He had a feeling he knew what was bringing her there, but it was something he didn't want to voice aloud for fear that it was true. But there was no other explanation.

"Tai, I think I know why."

"What's your idea?" He asked expectantly.

"Kari...the scubamon, they've already connected with her."

Tai looked confused, waiting for Matt to elaborate further.

"Well, when I was about to be swallowed by the darkness, they found me because of my own insecurities and anxieties. All of my negative thoughts were what was drawing the darkness to me. No matter how small my anger and sorrow was, the darkness heightened it. And by it heightening itself, I was sucked deeper into it.

"Kari is the keeper of light. You'd think that would mean that the darkness wouldn't have a chance to attack her because she was surrounded by the complete opposite. But, I think we were wrong. I think the darkness is attracted to the light; it's attracted to conquering it. That means that it will find the smallest feeling of doubt, insecurity, anger—anything—and fuel it."

"So, wait." Tai stopped his pacing and moved to stand right in front of Matt. "What exactly are you saying? Are you saying that Kari is being targeted because she's easier than any one of us?"

"No. I'm saying that she is the ultimate enemy to darkness. If the darkness wins against the light, then it will conquer everything. If the scubamon succeed in making her a sacrifice, then that would put the entire digital world out of balance."

"...Because they conquered the ultimate crest." Tai finished.

Everything was starting to make more and more sense as they talked it out. This was good. The more they knew, the more ammunition they had against the enemy.

"Tai, I think we should go out there and tell Kari and T.K. this theory we have. I think she would be the only one able to confirm it."

"Yeah, you're right." He said.

His mind and emotions were racing as this newly found knowledge surged through his brain. Things sounded so simple, yet so complex to him right now. He just needed to talk things out with Kari. Once she was informed about everything they just discussed, all of them would be somewhat more at ease.

With that determination, Matt and Tai exited the room. What they were met with, however, was not what they expected.

There, in the living room were all of the digidestined, and some of their respective Digimon.

Davis and Ken were in the corner talking about some new game, Yolie and Sora were sitting on the couch with Joe. Izzy and Cody were sitting in front of the coffee table on Izzy's laptop discussing a new software program, and Kari was sitting on the arm of the chair T.K. occupied. Mimi was still in America, but she could get there easily by going through the digital world.

Tai and Matt were genuinely surprised to see everyone there so quickly.

"Where did you all come from?" Tai asked in astonishment. Had he and Matt really been so lost in thought that they didn't hear the obvious loudness coming from the room right next door?

"I think what he means to say is, when did you guys get here?" Matt interjected.

"Guys, it's almost 3:45. You've been in there talking for an hour!" T.K. commented.

Tai and Matt both looked at each other before shrugging and walking into the living room behind the couch so they could face everyone.

"Has anyone called Mimi and told her what's going on?" Tai asked.

Sora raised her hand.

"I just got off the phone with her. She said she'll be here in a few minutes."

"Alright, then we'll just wait for her and then discuss why we called you all here."


	7. Chapter 7

Let me start with saying how very sorry I am that I have not updated this in so long. The reason why is because I had major writer's block and had no idea where this story was headed. So, I decided to re-watch the episode "His Master's Voice" for a little bit of inspiration. Then it clicked! That was one of the most confusing Digimon episodes. They never followed up with it or anything. I did a little research and discovered some things I didn't know before. And I give credit to digipedia./misc/faq.htm#5.1 for all of the information about the scubamon and such that I used in this story. What I have decided to do is make this a sort of sequel to that episode, i.e follow up on it like no one did. I will revise the first few chapters accordingly to make it less confusing. And I know there seems to be no plot development so far, but it is coming along and I ask that you be patient with me. I will still add cute sibling love fluff though, since this was the original reason for me writing this story in the first place.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

* * *

Mimi arrived a few minutes later and placed herself on the floor next to Cody. She could tell from the look on Tai's face that this meeting had something to do with Kari. Glancing over at Matt' just confirmed how serious they considered this matter to be.

"What's going on, guys?" She asked, trying to break the silence and get the ball rolling. The one thing Mimi hated was being kept out of the loop, especially when it came to her friends.

"Alright, I've asked you all here because of something that's going on." Tai looked at Kari and she nodded her head in reassurance.

He held her journal up for everyone to see before speaking again. "Before I start though," He looked toward T.K. and Kari. "I need you guys to tell everyone everything that happened the very first time you met the scubamon."

T.K. was about to speak when Kari put a hand on his shoulder to silence him. He didn't know every single detail of what happened when they transported her to the Dark Ocean. It would be better if she told the whole story. Then T.K. could fill in anything she didn't know.

"Well, I was feeling weird before I knew about the scubamon. I was having really bad nightmares a few days before, and I had no idea why or what was causing them. I figured maybe I was watching too many scary movies or something. So the day they actually transported me was strange. I was sitting in class, then all of a sudden I had a pounding headache, and then I was surrounded by water. And even stranger than that was that everything around me was grey."

She paused to gather her thoughts. She glanced over to see Izzy taking notes on his computer, and everyone else hanging on her every word.

"That's when I noticed she was fading away." T.K. added during her pause.

"I snapped out of it when I heard T.K. call my name. I felt really weak afterwards, like someone had drained all of my energy. And then I heard something calling my name, telling me to help it. I had no idea who or what it was.

"So, after most of the day dealing with it, I couldn't fight it anymore and just went to the beach. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, and when I opened them I was at the Dark Ocean."

"And this is where things get complicated." T.K. again added. "Because we have no idea where the Dark Ocean is."

"You mean it's not in the digi world?" Mimi asked.

"I don't think so. Because I was transported there the same way Kari was."

"Yeah, and the portal wouldn't open for me." Davis said.

"But at the same time, it had to be the digital world, because there was a control spire there." Patamon commented.

"That's true, but the scubamon also had no idea what a Digimon was or that they were digimon." Kari continued. "And the scubamon had dark spirals around their arms. But then, when we took the rings off, the scubamon changed into these terrible dark creatures. They said they wanted me to help them defeat their master. They wanted me to be their queen.

"And when I refused, they said their master was powerful and that he would come back for me."

Those who were just hearing the recollection for the first time had looks of horror on their faces. The others had looks of anger, sadness, or empathy.

Matt stepped in after a few moments of silence. Time was of the essence, and they had a lot they needed to discuss.

"Tai and I have a theory as to why the scubamon are only going after her." He paused and faced Kari. "We think the ultimate reason they are going after you is because of your crest, Kari."

"My crest?" She asked as she and T.K. exchanged looks.

"Yes. Last time they summoned you they were attracted to your power." He began pacing around the room and stopped when he reached the wall Davis and Ken occupied. "Did they ever give a reason as to _why_ they wanted to defeat their master?"

Kari said no before commenting, "They just said they needed me to help them battle."

"Hmmm." Matt said thoughtfully. He remembered what happened later on that same day. T.K. came home with Kari just as he had stopped over to visit Tai after band practice. Kari told them everything that night. And now that he'd listened to it again, there were a lot of things not clicking.

"So, if I remember correctly, they lured you to the dark ocean and told you they wanted to get the dark spirals off so they could go back to serving their master. Then, when the rings were off, they said that was all a hoax.

"And we know the spirals were a fake because any Digimon under Ken's power during that time were completely under his control as long as the control spires were in place."

He looked to Ken for confirmation and the younger digidestined agreed, looking guiltily at his feet. Even after all the time that had past, part of him would never be able to forgive himself for the horrible things he'd done. Davis gave him a small smile and a pat on the back, causing the blue haired teen to focus on conversation.

"So, the only way these things could even come up with such a plan as fake dark spirals has to mean that they aren't real Digimon, right?" Cody asked, looking more to Izzy for a response.

"Precisely. I've looked up 'scubamon' on my computer using a digital naming system I devised back when we all had our very first adventure there. Gennai helped me with it, too. There is no such thing as a scubamon, according to this. The only Digimon that remotely comes close in names are the divermon."

"Alright, we got it!" Davis's outburst caused everyone in the room to look in his direction. "We know they aren't real Digimon because they morphed into these creepy looking things after the _fake_ dark spirals were taken off. We don't need to talk about that anymore. What we should be talking about is who is going to take turns watching over Kari and figuring out whose butt we need to start kicking."

"It's not that simple, Davis!" Tai spoke. He'd kept quiet so far, wanting to hear the theories and comments from his other friends, but what Davis was suggesting was that they disregard what they know, ignore what they didn't know, and just go head on into a situation that required that information.

"My sister is already in enough danger! Your plan is just a full proof way to give whatever these things are exactly what they want!"

Davis was slightly shaken by the tone of Tai's voice, but he knew that everyone was on edge, especially those who were closest to Kari. But now was the time to take action, not spend time going over information they already had a good handle on.

"What else do we need to know?" Davis asked, this time treading lightly.

"Well, for one thing it would be helpful if we knew where this dimension is, who this undersea master is, what he's done to make the scubamon want to rebel, and what powers they have that are allowing them to transport Kari in and out of their world." Ken said. Everyone began to think long and hard about the questions Ken brought up. Finally, after several minutes, someone finally spoke.

"I think I know the solution to answering some of the questions." Yolei, who hadn't said a word since the meeting started, stated as she leaned forward on the seat she occupied.

"You aren't going to like this, but I think the only way to know anymore about the enemy is if Kari communicates with them again."

"As in, send her back to the dark ocean?! Are you crazy, Yolie? That's the one place we're trying to keep her away from, if you've been listening!" Davis all but screamed.

Yolei stood her ground. "I told you that you weren't going to like it, but think about this logically. How did we find out all of the information that we know about the scubamon now? We found out through Kari. They communicate with her. And you heard what she said; the first time they took her to the dark ocean, they just transported her there. Who's to say they can't just do that again?"

A few of the other digidestined nodded their heads in agreement. Tai thought it was a good time to tell everyone about Kari's journal. He held it back up in his right hand for the rest of the room to see.

"Actually, Yolei is right about one thing; they do have the power to transport her to and from their world. Kari has written down a lot of accounts in here that could maybe bring us closer to figuring out this connection. If we really think closely, I think we can figure it out without going through Yolei's extreme to do it."

"But Tai," Kari's head was pounding again and her vision was becoming blurry. She paused in order to gain control over the pain before continuing. "I don't think what I wrote down is really going to help all that much."

Tai knew immediately by the tone of her voice that she was in pain, and it took all of his self control not to lapse into protective-big-brother mode.

"Your journal has actually helped us more than you know, Kari."

"Yeah," Matt added. "Tai and I came up with a lot of theories based on what you put in this book. "

Tai looked back at her and saw that her cheeks were losing their color again.

"Kari, I want you to go lay down, okay? Matt and I can explain the rest."

"T.K., you go with her." Matt added. Both boys' voices clearly said this order was not up for discussion.

Both teens immediately stood and said goodbye to their friends before taking refuge in Kari's bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

I decided to post chapter 8 right now because...well, because I could. It was already written and since you guys are the most amazing readers in the world, I thought I would update regularly while I have this boost of writing energy. I don't know how long it will last though. Sorry about the severe lack of sibling fluffiness in this chapter. The next one will definitely have it. I know this because half of that chapter is already written. lol. I always like to throw in some T.K./Matt fluffiness too! So, please review and thanks for being so patient and reading!

* * *

Once the door was closed behind them, T.K. and Kari could hear Matt and Tai begin speaking again. T.K. sighed. He loved that their friends were all there to help Kari with this new enemy. The more people she had with her, the better chance they all had to defeat this evil before it had a chance to strike.

But as much as T.K. wanted their friends involved, he also wished the meeting would just end so it would be Matt, Tai, he and Kari again. That way, Kari would be able to relax. All through the meeting she was as stiff as a board. He had to squeeze her hand a few times to get her to loosen up her muscles.

She hated getting other people involved in her problems. That was the main reason why she didn't want to tell the others. And that was also the reason why she kept quiet when she started feeling sick again.

He noticed, of course. He felt her hands become clammy ten minutes before Tai sent them away.

Kari closed her eyes and she laid down on the bed and put the comforter over herself. T.K. gave her a small smile which she returned.

"Why are you smiling at me, silly?" She asked playfully.

T.K. laid down next to her and brought her closer to him before replying.

"You just look so cute snuggled in the blankets."

She gave a small laugh and turned so that she and T.K. were face to face.

"Do you mind if I take a small nap?"

T.K. looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "Do you think they'll try to take you again? Because I don't know what to do if they do. I don't think I'll be able to find you this time."

His face had a hurt expression on it that made her heart ache. He would go to the ends of the earth for her, and seeing her in any kind of danger hurt him more than she could ever know.

She put her hand to his cheek and lightly moved his head so that he was looking her straight in the eyes.

"I don't think they have the strength left to take me again so soon. I should be fine."

"Are you sure?" His eyes poured emotions into her heart, and she found herself leaning up and placing a chaste kiss on his lips. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to kiss her back before breaking the kiss a few seconds later.

"I'm sure. Besides, if they try to take me again, I know you'll be here to wake me up."

"As I'll always be." He replied sincerely.

"I love you, T.K." She responded and snuggled up to his chest, which allowed him to wrap his arms even tighter around her small form.

"I love you too, Kari."

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Soon after sending his sister away, Tai got down to business.

"Alright, instead of going through all of the passages tonight, I'm going to assign jobs to all of you."

He walked around the room and began processing information in his mind.

"Izzie, Joe and Yolei." The digidestined gave Tai their full attention. "I need you three to use all of the sources you have and find out where the dark ocean is and how to get there."

"Right!" All three replied simultaneously.

"Davis, Cody and Mimi. I'm going to need the three of you to go to the digital world and ask any Digimon if they know anything about scubamon or a dark, undersea master. I would start with finding some divermon and asking them first. You all can split up if necessary. I know Mimi is on a different time schedule."

"That's true. It's 5 in the morning at my house right now." Mimi said as she yawned for effect. Luckily she was wide awake when Sora called her, or else she wouldn't have been the happiest person when she arrived.

All three digidestined nodded before Mimi and Cody joined Davis and Ken by the wall to work out when they would begin their search for the scubamon.

Tai smiled at their determination before calling the last two digidestined.

"Sora and Ken." He motioned for them to join him and Matt next to the chair T.K. and Kari had been sitting on.

He handed Kari's journal to Sora.

"I know this is going to be difficult, and I hate asking this of you, but you two—and Matt—are the only ones who have had first hand experience with darkness. I'm asking you to read through these entries. Matt and I believe that they are after Kari because of the power she has. And we think they are able to get to her by using any negative energy she may have deep within her."

"You really think the darkness is getting to her the way it did with Matt and I?" Sora asked fearfully. She still remembered how awful it felt to have the constant guilt, anger, and worthlessness course through her body.

"I think so. I want you guys to read between the lines. I read this already, but I can't understand it because I've never experienced something exploiting my emotions the way you have. I feel like you'll be able to tell us more about what she's feeling, and let her know whether or not they are her feelings or the seeds of doubt being planted by the scubamon."

"We understand, Tai." Ken said. "And we'll do our best."

"Thank you." He told Ken and Sora. He then turned to everyone else in the room. "Thank you all. We'll set up another meeting in a few days and talk about what we found out."

With that being said, the meeting was officially over.

"Hey Tai, can I check on Kari before I go? She wasn't in school today, and T.K. forgot to get both their homework from the teacher. Luckily I thought about it and brought it over."

Tai gave him a skeptical look and turned to Matt to see the same expression on his face. Man, Davis was still as hopeless as ever.

"Go ahead, Davis." Matt said with a chuckle. "But don't start a fight with my brother if he's too close to Kari for your comfort."

Davis began running all kinds of horrible scenarios through his head before he dropped the homework on the coffee table and dejectedly made his way home with everyone else.

As soon as the door was closed, he and Matt collapsed on the couch and sighed in relief. To them, the most tedious part was over. Everyone knew about what was going on and each had a small assignment to move things along faster. Now all they had to do was come together and set up a game plan for defeating the undersea creature, and everything would hopefully be back to normal.

"Man, I'm exhausted." Tai said as he looked at the clock on the wall. It read 6:24pm. His parents would be home in a few minutes.

"I don't see how. You just woke up a few hours ago." Matt replied with a laugh. His best friend was so hopeless sometimes.

"Yeah, but I have a long night ahead of me. I've been thinking about what Davis said."

"You mean about standing guard? Yeah, I've been thinking about that, too."

"And something tells me that I'll definitely have to keep my guard up, especially when hers will be down."

"I know. Do you need me and T.K. to stay the night?" Matt offered. Between Tai and T.K. worrying, he felt like the only medium between them and insanity.

"No thanks. I need to talk to her alone. She wasn't feeling well during the meeting, and I want to know what's up. Besides, if you and T.K. stay over, she'll know why. I just need to get her comfortable with the idea of being in the center of everything."

"That's true. And while you're doing that, I have to try to convince T.K. that Kari will be better off if he isn't constantly worrying about her. Man, between you guys, I'm surprised I can keep my cool."

Tai looked at him and let out a loud laugh.

"How is it that, no matter what we're talking about, you always have to mention you and the word 'cool' in the same sentence?"

"It's because me and that word go together better than any other two words." He replied as innocently as possible given that his friend was glaring at him. Even in a time of crisis, some things never changed.


	9. Chapter 9

Next chapter! Thank you all so much for the encouraging reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own it!

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Matt hated to do it, because his brother was sleeping so peacefully, but he had to wake him up. It was almost 7, and their mother was probably worrying herself gray over the fact that none of her sons were home. Besides that, Tai and Kari's parents had just gotten in and he didn't want to intrude any longer than necessary.

So, after much protesting and grumbling, the still half-asleep T.K. leaned against his brother as the older blond bid farewell to Tai and his parents. Kari was surprisingly still asleep, something that both worried and relieved Tai. He wanted her to get all of the rest she could, but he also didn't want to risk another attack.

Luckily, Matt reassured him enough to calm his nerves before putting his arm around his brother's shoulders and leading him out of the apartment and down to the car. By the time Matt made it to the driver's seat, T.K. had once again drifted off.

Matt smiled down at the younger boy and began driving toward his mother's apartment. The only thing on Matt's mind while driving was what his mother was going to say to him when they arrived. He and his mother never talked much, except if she was angry with him or if it had something to do with T.K. Just the fact that he knew T.K. had left school early and hadn't bothered calling her was enough for him to receive a good tongue lashing. T.K. hated the way he and his mother danced around each other sometimes, but knew not much could be done about it. The only thing he could do was get all three of them to spend more time together.

Matt loved T.K. for trying, and it was for that reason that he put up the effort. But he and his mother knew that they both needed to have a long talk if their relationship stood a chance of being mended.

Matt parked the car and nudged T.K. to wake up. Fortunately, he wasn't as grumpy as he was when they left the Kamiya residence. He yawned and stretched before taking in his surroundings.

"We're here, already?" He asked as he wiped sleep out of his eyes.

"Yeah, squirt. Now hurry up. I bet you mom's freaking out."

T.K. winced as the image of his mother's angry face came into his mind. He'd seen that face too many times to count, and desperately did not want to see it again.

"Man, I am so grounded!" He paused for a moment. "Do you think we should tell her what's going on?"

"Even if we did, she still wouldn't think this situation is a good enough excuse for you to ditch school."

"Yeah, I know. Do you think Dad told her?"

"Probably....not. Knowing dad, he most likely forgot to call and tell mom. I wouldn't be surprised if she was on the phone yelling at him right now."

T.K. laughed at that image and stepped out of the car, stretching his legs as he began walking toward the elevator. While T.K. walked away, Matt exited the car and opened the trunk. He pulled out an overnight bag he'd packed last night. He'd told himself the night before after he'd left his mother's apartment that he would stay over. He knew what T.K. was like when he was worried or stressed out. He was an emotional train-wreck. The best thing to do when he got like that was to constantly keep him grounded. That was something only he could do.

T.K. turned around from his place at the elevator to see Matt lock his doors and jog over with the bag in his hands. T.K. looked at his brother, smiling in thanks.

"Don't thank me yet, squirt. The worst part hasn't even started yet."

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Kari woke up to the sound of her mother's voice and the feel of the thermometer in her left ear.

"Oh honey, you still have a high fever." Her mother commented as she shook her head at the temperature the thermometer flashed. She turned across the room to face her son, who was leaning against the wall closest to the door.

"I'm calling the doctor tomorrow and asking that he come give her a check up."

"You don't have to do that, mom." Kari said as she sat up and leaned her back against the pillows. "I didn't get much sleep last night, but I promise I won't have a fever tomorrow. I just need to rest a little more."

Mrs. Kamiya studied her daughter more. "But Kari, this is a virus. The doctor will only be here for a few minutes and he will give you something to break your fever and allow you to get better. Don't argue with me on this, sweetie. Now, I'm making you some chicken soup and then I want you going right back to sleep after you've eaten."

"Yes, mom." She replied.

"And Tai, make sure you come home straight from school." Tai nodded and Mrs. Kamiya left the room, leaving the two siblings alone in comfortable silence.

Tai walked over to her bed and sat himself on the edge.

"I'm really proud of you, Kari." He said suddenly.

"Me?" She replied in utter surprise. "But why?" She didn't see what she could have done today to warrant anyone being proud of her.

"Because you were very brave today. You stayed in that room and told everyone one of your biggest fears. That takes courage."

"Well, I couldn't have done it alone. I had you and T.K. there to support me."

"Everyone was there to support you, and I'm glad you let them."

She smiled at him and he returned it before his face became serious again.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. I didn't have any nightmares or visions or anything. It was a normal nap."

"Well, just to make sure, I'm going to keep an eye on you tonight. Most of what you wrote in your journal happened when you were asleep. I don't want to give them any chance to do anything."

"Oh Tai, please don't give up your sleep for me. They haven't contacted me since yesterday morning. And I don't think they'll try again this soon. They don't have the strength."

Tai was skeptical about her explanation, considering how often she wrote about them in her entries, but if she thought they weren't strong enough to try again sooner, he would trust her.

"Alright, Kari. But if they do try to transport you back or you have a nightmare, wake me up right away."

She nodded her head in agreement as the door opened, revealing their mother with a hot bowl of soup.

"You're in luck, honey. I added some extra ingredients to the chicken soup using one of the recipes I learned in my cooking class. I hope you like it."

Kari took the bowl with a fearful look before glancing at Tai, who'd turned his back to the two women while holding in his laughter at the thought of what the secret ingredients could be.

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"T.K.! Where have you been?"

T.K. gulped loudly as he and Matt stepped into the apartment. Ms. Takaishi was standing in front of the two, completely red in the face due to all of the worrying she had done.

"Honestly, how could you both be so careless? One of you could have called and told me what was going on. I just now found out from your father that you skipped school today, T.K.!"

T.K. winced at the tone his mother was using.

"And Matt." She turned her attention to her oldest son. "You knew where he was this whole time and couldn't tell me either? You know better."

"I'm sorry, mom. We completely lost track of time." Matt replied before T.K. had a chance to speak. Matt was willing to take the blame for this, partially because he truly believed most of this was his fault. He had a cell phone, and he knew T.K. skipped. He could have easily given his mother a call to tell her why he missed his last few classes and what they'd been doing, but he didn't.

"Matt, you are the older brother. How do you expect me to trust you when you pull things like this?"

"Mom, please stop." T.K. interjected while stepping between them. "Matt didn't know I left early until after school ended. And then when he found out, he went to go find me. None of this is his fault; if anyone's to blame, it's me."

"Yes, it is you. But the point is that one of you should have been responsible and told me where you were and when you would be home." She took a deep breath and crossed her arms. "I'd like to know what it was that made you ditch school and not get home until now."

T.K. froze and looked to Matt for an answer. Yes, their parents knew all about Digimon and the digital world, but seeing how she reacted to the battle with myotismon and the Oikawa saga, both brothers didn't think their mother would respond well to another adventure, especially one involving someone very close to T.K.

At the same time, however, both boys hated lying to their parents and they always felt very guilty afterwards.

"See, mom," Matt decided to answer for him. "Kari has been sick for a little while. And when Tai called last night, he said she wasn't feeling any better and he didn't know what was wrong. T.K. was very worried and wanted to see her and make sure she was alright, so he left school early to check on her. I got there later and we all kept her company until her parents got home."

Ms. Takaishi had a few more choice words for her son before she let the matter drop. As T.K. predicted, he was grounded for a week.

"Dinner is on the table. I'm going back to finish my work." With that, she walked away from her sons into her study and closed the door behind her.

Matt and T.K. sighed in relief and walked into the kitchen to eat their dinner. While T.K. helped himself to another bowl of rice, he looked up to see Matt deep in thought, a dumpling hanging from the chopsticks he was holding.

"Hey, Matt?" He inquired softly.

"Yeah, T.K.?"

"What's the matter? You've barely touched your food."

Matt glanced down at his plate to see only a small portion of his meal had been consumed. He turned his attention back to T.K.

"Just thinking about the situation with Kari."

His answer was short, which made T.K. uneasy.

"Should I be really worried?"

Matt sighed. "It's hard to say, T.K. I really can't answer that. It's a hard topic to discuss."

T.K. nodded his head in understanding. Matt was thinking about his encounters with darkness and despair; how those dark emotions almost consumed him. T.K. knew he would never fully understand what that felt like, so all he could do was watch and try to be there for his older brother.

Matt cleared his throat in order to break the silence that had fallen over the two of them. Tonight was supposed to be about getting T.K. to calm down. He could analyze the situation later.

"C'mon, T.K., hurry up and finish eating. If you don't, mom will be even angrier at us. And besides, you'll need all the strength you can get if you have any hopes of beating me in Death Droids 5."

T.K. laughed and brought the bowl up to his face, preparing to scarf the rest of his meal down. "Oh, you're on!"


	10. Chapter 10

And another one! These are all way overdue, and the sooner I post what I have so far, the faster I can finish the next couple of chapters and post again. Please continue to be patient.

Disclaimer: I hate this thing.... I own nothing!

* * *

It was well past midnight before Kari woke up, completely drenched in sweat and shivering from cold chills. Her eyes were completely bloodshot as she felt around her bed, trying to find remnants of any sign that those creatures had been around her.

Her breathing slowed considerably when she discovered everything to be normal. That was a relief for her. It meant that they still weren't strong enough to take her anywhere.

She wiped her forehead off with the back of her hand before getting up to retrieve her journal. This had become some sort of ritual for her, and she hated that recording her nightmares had become so routine in such a short amount of time.

She tip-toed across the room over to the desk before silently pulling back the chair and sitting down. After turning on the small reading lamp, she opened the book to a fresh page and began writing.

_I had another nightmare. It was really scary this time because it was so...different. They were here. They were here in my bedroom, staring at me. I tried to scream, but they put some type of barrier around me. They've never done that before. I didn't even know they were strong enough to do such a thing. After I was quiet again, the barrier disappeared and they told me they were still trying to get me to their world. They were so close to me. I even think one of them brushed against my arm, because I felt an icy feeling near my wrist when one of them came near. They weren't solid; I guess that's a good thing, right? It means they aren't physically strong enough to be here in person. Either that or they are strong enough but are trying to conserve their energy. Yeah, way to scare yourself even more, Kari..._

"Kari?"

Her breath hitched in her throat and she was temporarily frozen in fear until the person's voice registered in her brain.

"Tai" She breathed softly.

"I thought I told you to wake me up as soon as you had another nightmare."

His voice was stern, and his face held a look of anger mixed with despair. He was officially terrified now. It was one thing to read about what she had been going through and listen to her recollections, but when he woke up and saw her sitting at the table, agonizing over what she was writing, it brought everything home.

Kari lowered her head and whispered an apology. The anger left his face and was replaced by sympathy for her. He reached down and lifted her chin with his fingers.

"Come on. Let's get you back to bed."

She stood and followed him back over to the bottom bunk. She climbed in and instantly felt the leftover residue of the nightmare. She tensed up, earning her a concerned look from Tai.

"Was it really that bad this time?"

"Yes. I can still feel them here."

"They were physically here?" He asked in a slight panic. If they were able to get there, then they were able to take her. And the worst part was that he would be unable to do anything about it if it were to happen.

"It's weird. Most of them were just spirits, but one of them got really close to me, and I felt something. It was like a mix between ice and air, but he looked like a spirit too. I don't think any of them were physically here."

Tai nodded, making a mental note to let the others know this information when he got to school.

"Well, I don't want you sleeping there if you still feel their presence."

He walked over to their closet and grabbed a pillow before throwing it on the floor a few feet away.

"So, you're taking my bed tonight. I'll get some extra sheets and blanket and sleep on the floor."

"Wait, Tai?" She called out to him as he was about to leave the room to get the items. "I don't want you giving up your bed for me. There's room up there for you, too."

He thought about it before he nodded and climbed up after her. Surprisingly, she was right; there was a lot more room up there than he expected. He was such a crazy sleeper that he didn't think there was enough room for just him sometimes.

Kari curled up on the side closest to the wall and pulled the blanket up to her neck. She let out a content sigh. She hadn't been on the top bunk in ages. They had stopped switching beds a while ago and just settled for what they were most comfortable with. The only time she would venture up there was to wake him up if he was running late, or if she couldn't sleep.

"This brings back memories." Tai suddenly said as he put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Anytime you were scared or something was wrong, you would always come up here or make me go down to your bed."

He laughed a little as he thought of the numerous times those moments occurred. Kari smiled at the thought as well.

"Yeah, you were always there to protect me. Sometimes when you're away and I'm feeling scared or worried, I'll come up here and fall right asleep. And then when I wake up, all my fears and worries are gone."

"Well, I hope I don't jinx it by being here."

"I don't think you will, silly."

He smiled at her before leaning over and kissing her on the head. "Get some sleep, kiddo. I'll be here if anything happens, alright."

"Alright. Thanks, Tai."

She let out a loud yawn and within minutes drifted into a peaceful sleep.

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Tai woke up the next morning completely exhausted. Because of Kari's nightmare, he stayed up virtually all night, turning around every other minute to make sure she was still next to him, safe and sound. He didn't remember when he finally fell asleep, but he knew it was not very long ago and his body was going to hate him all day for it.

He rubbed sleep out of his eyes and turned to face the other side of the bed to see that it was empty. He almost panicked until he heard Kari's voice from the kitchen. With his heart rate slowing, he quickly got dressed and walked into the living room to see his mother heading out the door.

"Remember what I told you, Tai. Straight home from school, alright?" She said before bidding them goodbye and making her exit.

As the door closed, Kari walked back into the kitchen toward the stove.

"Did you want me to make you any breakfast before you leave?"

"No, thanks. I actually should be leaving right now. I have to talk to my coach about leaving camp early." He said this with a cringe. He was _not _looking forward to having that conversation.

Shaking his head, he walked into the kitchen and stood in front of her, a now serious look on his face.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright by yourself? Because I can talk to my coach and come back here if that's what you want."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Tai. The doctor is going to be here in a little while, and I'll probably just do my homework and watch tv. No worries." She said with a reassuring smile. This was one of the few times where she wasn't worried about the scubamon. She'd caught up on a lot of missed sleep yesterday between her nap and sleeping in Tai's bed. She seemed to be more susceptible to the dark powers when her guard was down, and she was happy to say that now was not one of those times.

Tai was skeptical, but did not dwell on it. She was looking a lot better today, which he was very thankful for. And he would only be gone for seven hours. He just had to trust her.

"Well, I have my cell in my bag. If anything happens, just call me and I'll come home."

She nodded and watched as he put his shoes on and slung his bag over his shoulders and walked out.

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Tai sluggishly walked into homeroom and let out a heavy sigh as he all but fell into his seat. The coach had ripped into him about leaving camp, and had assigned him extra training every day until the big game on Saturday.

Matt entered the room and took his seat next to his best friend, who had his head on his desk. Tai looked up when he sensed someone next to him, and Matt grimaced as he saw the bags under his eyes.

"Man, and I thought T.K. looked bad this morning."

Tai glared at him before sitting up and leaning his back against the seat. Matt laughed in response.

"How is T.K. doing?" Tai asked curiously, knowing this was just as hard for the younger blond as it was for him.

"He's grounded for a week because of his delinquent move yesterday. He's pretty bummed about it."

Tai looked sympathetic. This was one time that Kari really needed T.K., and he knew his punishment would hurt both of them.

"Don't worry. I haven't told T.K., but I'm going to talk to my mom today after school. She's going to be presenting some article she wrote at this place downtown, so I'll just take her to a late lunch and try to get T.K. off the hook."

"I hope it works." Tai replied. "We all need each other if we're going to stop these things. I just hope Ms. Takaishi understands."

"Understands what?"

Matt and Tai looked over to see Izzy and Sora walking over to them.

Before anyone could utter a reply, the teacher walked in and urged everyone to take their seats. Tai groaned and put his hand through his hair. It was going to be a long seven hours.

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	11. Chapter 11

And one more! I have started chapter 12, and it is almost finished. It will probably be longer because I have so much information in it. Everyone has gotten deeper into their research about what's going on with Kari. That's all I am able to share, and thanks so much to everyone who still reads this despite my infrequent updates.

Disclaimer: Don't own digimon.

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After the final bell rang, T.K. rushed at break-neck speed toward the computer lab. His mother was expecting him home straight from school, but he couldn't just leave without telling the others about his situation and seeing how the research was going. When he entered the room, he saw most of the digidestined already there and already hard at work.

T.K. was about to walk straight to Davis until he saw the other boy was on the phone.

"Ok, so what time zone do you want to go by when we go to the digital world?" He asked Mimi from his place near the window. With her being on a completely different time schedule, he thought it was only fair to let her have a say in what time they did things. Cody was right next to him, attempting to whisper a few times he thought would be best for everyone. Davis, of course, was not hearing the younger boy.

T.K. decided to let them handle what they were doing and walked over to Izzy and Yolei. Joe was still in school because of extra tutoring and wouldn't be out until later.

"Any luck, guys?" T.K. asked as he sat next to the two. Izzy was typing away furiously and Yolei was watching with enthusiasm. She tore her eyes away from the screen enough to answer his question.

"We feel like we're getting close. We know that there are other dimensions, so Izzy is devising a new system to categorize the numerous dimensions out there. Since we've only really encountered three, he's starting with those."

T.K. nodded in mild understanding and Izzy took over the explanation.

"I'm taking the three dimensions we've already encountered and listing their different characteristics so that when we get new information, we won't mistake one place for another. For example, the digital world is a dimension we've all been to. I'm recording how many known digimon there are based on the system Gennai worked on with me, how we are able to be transported there, and also putting in basic information, such as weather conditions and how similar or different this world is compared to our own. This information may not seem important now, but once I've cataloged other dimensions, you'll see how easy it will be for us to get confused."

"We're going to wait until Davis, Cody and Mimi get back so we can see what the digimon have to say. And then when we see Kari again, we're going to ask her more about what the Dark Ocean looked like. We should be able to narrow everything down once we have all of that." Yolei finished for Izzy, and T.K. nodded, completely impressed by the amount of progress. Leave it to Izzy and Yolei to be on top of everything.

T.K. stood and made his way over to Davis just as he got off the phone.

"Man, why do girls have to be so pushy?" Davis complained as he put a hand over his eyes.

"Well, you did ask her what she wanted, Davis. I actually don't think it's unreasonable. Mimi's always getting up at crazy hours to come over here." Cody commented thoughtfully.

"What's wrong with Davis?" T.K. asked with a hint of amusement.

"We've all agreed to meet in the digital world sometime late afternoon in America, meaning Davis and I have to be there sometime very early morning. Depending on how many trips we're making, we've decided to alternate time zone schedules. That means one trip we'll go based on Mimi's time, and another we'll go based on our time."

"That sounds like a good plan, actually." T.K. commented.

"Yeah, well it would considering you're not the one who has to get up." Came the perturbed grumble from the brown haired boy.

"Just remember why we're doing all of this, Davis." Cody reminded.

Davis lightened up considerably, his sullen mood suddenly gone. He looked toward T.K.

"Hey, are you going over to see Kari now?"

"No. I came here to tell you all that I'm grounded for a week. My mom flipped last night about me ditching classes."

"Bummer, dude." Davis replied sympathetically. He'd been grounded so many times that he was surprised he wasn't on punishment now. "I guess I'll give her the homework again today. And I'll even tell her about how much we've done so far. That'll make her happy, right?"

T.K. agreed, happy that she would have some kind of company, even though it wasn't his.

Before thoughts of her could creep into his mind, he gasped.

"Oh man, I'm late. If I don't get home soon, my mom is going to freak! I'll see you all tomorrow!" He yelled before sprinting out of the room and making a beeline for home. He just hoped he got there before his mother did.

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Mrs. Takaishi breathed a sigh of relief as she got off the elevator and walked towards the main doors leading out of the building. That presentation was the longest she'd ever done, and she was very grateful that she did not have to present another article for at least a few more weeks. The topic: How watching paint dry stimulates the mind. And she thought the historical significance of toilet paper was useless.

As she got closer to the exit, a figure in the corner of the lobby caught her eye.

"Matt?" The blond haired boy turned at the sound of his name and stood when he saw his mother approaching him.

"This is a surprise. What are you doing here?"

"I have something to talk to you about, so I was waiting for your meeting to get out. I thought maybe we could talk over lunch or something."

Mrs. Takaishi was caught off guard at the proposal, and immediately felt guilty for it. After the divorce, she and her eldest son became distant. It was to the point now that they could barely speak to one another without some kind of tension in the air. She hated that their relationship was so strained, especially since she felt the most at fault for the distance.

In all of the years she and Mr. Ishida had been divorced, she couldn't remember the last time she and Matt spent any time together alone. Any outings they had usually involved T.K., and she would bet any amount of money that he was the reason for Matt coming to see her today. That thought deepened the guilty feeling, but she quickly shook it off.

"Sure, we can have lunch. Is there any place in particular you would like to go?" She asked politely. She could almost feel Matt's discomfort at the formal tone she used with him, but there was nothing she could do. They were almost like strangers to one another.

"Oh, not really. I don't know this area. I was thinking maybe you could pick."

"Alright. I know a nice place about a block up." He nodded and she waited until he gathered his things before both walked out of the building.

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"Kari, I'm back." Tai yelled as he walked through the threshold and began removing his shoes. His coach was waiting outside of his class after the last bell, meaning Tai had no choice but to tell him in person that he could not practice today. The man was furious, but after hearing the reason, decided Tai would have an hour of extra practices tomorrow and Friday.

"How was your day?" Kari asked as she entered the living room and sat on the arm of the couch.

"Miserable." He moaned. "I had forgotten what being in class felt like since I left for camp last Friday." He sat on the edge of the smaller couch adjacent to her.

She laughed at his dramatic description.

"So, in other words, your day was fine." She stated. She laughed again when he nodded in agreement.

"What did the doctor say?" He asked.

"He said I had all of the symptoms of a simple virus, and if I take the antibiotics and rest, I should be fine in a few days. I asked him if illnesses could be caused by stress, just because of the nightmares and whatnot, and he told me they could, but he didn't think that was the case for me. He thinks my symptoms would be more severe and longer lasting if that was the problem."

"And you've told him how long you've felt sick and everything that was wrong with you physically?" He asked, just to make sure she covered everything.

"Yes, and I even went as far as to tell him that I was having nightmares every night for the past week. He said that the nightmares wouldn't have anything to do with my physical well being."

"And he gave you a thorough check-up?" He asked, definitely wanting to make sure the man did his job correctly. He saw Kari give him an exasperated look and replied,

"Yes, Tai. He did everything he was supposed to do. He even called mom at work to tell her himself. I should be healthy in time for your big soccer match."

Tai groaned as he thought of his coach. "Yeah, speaking of soccer, will you be alright if I go outside and practice for a little while? Coach was really steamed at me leaving camp, so he's making me practice extra before Saturday."

"Of course I'll be alright. I actually just finished the homework Davis gave me yesterday and was about to start putting some things away in our room."

"Don't over-exert yourself." He warned, his protectiveness becoming dominant. "What time is mom getting home?"

"She said she would be back at six, the usual time." She replied. He nodded his head before leaving to quickly change clothes and grab his soccer ball. If he left now, he would have a good couple of hours to practice before his mother got home.

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Matt let out a breath as he examined his hands for what seemed like the hundredth time. He and his mother were sitting at a small table on the outside of the restaurant. Since it was such a nice day, both agreed to not let it go to waste. That was almost ten minutes ago, and they hadn't said a word since.

Ms. Takaishi nursed her ice-tea and glanced at him from her place opposite him. Looking at him, she felt like the worse mother in the world. Their relationship could not be that far gone that they couldn't even speak to one another. As awkward as it would be, she had to make an effort. After all, it was not his fault things were the way they were. She barely had enough time for the son that lived with her. She always had some sort of project or article due and never enough time to do them. It aggravated her to no end, because her supervisor knew she had children, yet at the same time she knew it couldn't be helped. She was one of the best they had.

Yet in her mind, she knew that was not a good enough excuse for the neglect. And if her son could make the effort, even though it concerned T.K, then she would do the same. She was going to fix their relationship.

"So, how's school going? Have you joined any sports or clubs?" That seemed like a safe topic to start with. These were things every mother should know about their child.

Matt looked up. "School is pretty good, I guess. My friends and I are in the same homeroom again, so it isn't boring. And no, I haven't joined any clubs or sports. My band takes up most of my free time."

"Oh." She replied. She had almost forgotten that he was in a band. "When is your next concert?"

"This Saturday night. It's one of our big ones because there isn't any school on Sunday. We got a space at that concert hall a few blocks up from school."

She nodded before pulling out her blackberry from her purse. Matt figured someone from the office was calling her, and he promptly went back to studying his hands. He was very surprised when he heard her speak again.

"Would you mind if I came to your concert?" She asked, eyes still locked on the mobile device. Though his face didn't show it, she saw by the way his shoulders stiffened that she'd caught him off guard by her question.

"Well, the deadline for my next assignment isn't until next Monday, and I have no other work other than that. And I haven't had the chance to see you play." She exited out of her portable schedule and put the phone back in her purse. She looked to see his reaction. His face was still unreadable.

"I should be able to come, if you'd like." She couldn't ask him straight out, but Matt seemed to understand the meaning of her words, because a small smile graced his features.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind. It starts at seven. I can bring the ticket next time I come over."

She smiled at him and received one in return, something that lifted her spirits more than she realized. The comfortable silence was broken as their food arrived, and another ten minutes passed until Matt spoke.

"Mom, there was actually a reason why I wanted to have lunch with you."

She laughed at how sheepish he looked. "I knew there was a reason. It's about T.K., isn't it?"

"Yes." His expression was serious now. "I don't want to beat around the bush, so I'm just going to ask you."

"What is it?" She was curious.

"Can you please lift T.K.'s punishment?" Her expression now mirrored her son's as she thought about the situation. She was too worried and angry the night before to really hear her sons' explanation about what happened to make T.K. leave school early. And, truth be told, the little she did hear was vague.

"May I ask why?"

"He left school yesterday because Tai called the night before and told us that Kari was very sick and that he thought it would be nice if everyone came over after school to see her. T.K. had already been worried about her that day because she left school early, so the phone call did nothing but worry him more. So, after school ended, I decided to pick him up to get to Tai's apartment faster, but I heard from one of his friends that he'd left a few hours before.

"So, naturally he was with Kari. I know what T.K. is like when he is panicking, and most likely he wasn't paying attention in any of his classes. I know it was wrong for him to leave, but Kari is still sick. And Tai and I noticed that she looked a lot better when he was with her. I wouldn't normally ask this of you, but I know if given the choice between Kari and rules, he would break them in a second for her. And I don't want him getting into that habit, so I'm asking that you please lift his grounding."

She thought for a moment, dissecting his explanation in her mind. T.K. wasn't a bad child, by any means. In fact, she didn't think she could ask for anyone more well-mannered. But on the other hand, he broke a rule. And though it was for a reason, was she really willing to let him get away with it?

"How sick is Kari?" She asked. If she was as sick as Matt was making her to be, then her decision would be easy. "What exactly is wrong with her?"

"That's the thing; no one knows why she's so sick. When I saw her yesterday, she was very pale and feverish. She also hasn't been sleeping very well, and has been out of school since mid-Monday. She's seeing a doctor today, but she hasn't shown much of a sign that she's getting better. T.K. knows more about it, and he's really concerned about her. He's been very anxious for the past few days because of it. I just know that him being grounded will just heighten what he's feeling, and that won't be good for the situation."

He was trying to be as evasive as possible without out-right lying, but it was hard to do so with his mother looking at him with skepticism. The digidestined had put their parents through so many adventures already, and the last thing Matt wanted was to worry his mother any more than necessary. He did not know how difficult this battle would be, but he knew that it would not be as big as the battles with Myotismon. The less she had to know was better, in his opinion.

"Something else is happening that you don't want me to know. It's written all over your face." She pointed out, impressed and relieved that she still had the ability to read his emotions. That observation was one small step that let her know not all hope was lost mending the broken bonds.

Matt would not lie; he was never one to do so, and she doubted that had changed.

"You're right." He replied. "But I can't tell you what is going on. All I can say is that Kari needs T.K. right now, and I'm asking if—for her sake—you would lift his punishment."

She looked him in the eyes and saw the emotions that swept through them.

"When I get home, I will speak to T.K."

He understood the meaning of her words. She would make her decision after she spoke to her youngest son. He did his part, and now it was up to T.K. to explain himself.

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	12. Chapter 12

Please check my profile page for all information pertaining to updates. If you have any questions, please feel free to direct message me or leave a review Please read Author's Note at the bottom.

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Davis threw the comforter off of himself angrily as his alarm clock screeched for the 5th time. He glared at the 3:05am that flashed in the darkened room with a look of depression. He and Cody were meeting Mimi in the digital world at 4:00am. Because of the time difference, Mimi would be getting out of school around that time in America. He sighed before getting out of bed and heading for the shower, all the while having to remind his sleepy brain and body what he was awake for. It was time to get down to business.

Davis finished his shower and headed over to his D-3 to make sure Cody was awake and ready. Though he hadn't shown it a few minutes ago, Davis was excited. Ever since the meeting, he had seen most of the digidestined doing their part to help Kari. He saw the progress Joe, Yolei and Izzy were making with categorizing different dimensions, he watched as Ken tortured himself by recording everything he knew about his experience with the darkness in his own journal, and he even saw how T.K., though not assigned a specific job, was holding himself together for her sake. Davis felt like he was slacking, and that had to be fixed immediately.

The beeping of his D-3 was just the initiative he needed to take action. Once he read that Cody was ready, he opened the digiport on his computer and all but ran through the screen. Once the intense brightness of the portal dimmed, he examined his surroundings.

"Davis! Over here!" Davis turned to see Cody a few yards away with Mimi by his side. From the looks of her school uniform and backpack, she had not stopped home to change.

"Hey guys!" He called as he ran toward them. Cody waved and Mimi smiled. Once Davis made it over to them, he stopped and pulled out his D3. On the screen was a map of the area.

"So, what do we do first?" Mimi asked. Kari was like a sister to her, and when she'd found out what was going on, she desperately wanted to help out. Even with the distance, she promised herself that she would work hard—despite the humidity in the air—to keep Kari and the others safe.

"Ok, there's an area half a mile up that way…" Davis pointed behind Mimi and Cody. "…that I think would be a good place to start. Tai said to check with digimon who would know something about an 'undersea master', or any information about traveling between dimensions."

"That seems like a good place to start." Cody agreed. "I remember that area from when Digmon and I were destroying control spires. In between going from one area around the lake to another, Digmon told me there were hundreds of digimon in that ecosystem alone. I think this place would give us enough information to sort out for the day."

"I think so, too. I think this is where Palmon usually hangs out. Because this is such a big place, I think we should split up. We won't finish in time if we don't." Mimi explained.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Mimi? Even though there is no immediate danger around us, there's still a chance that something could happen. Besides, if we don't finish today, we can come back tomorrow and do it."

"I actually agree with Mimi." Davis commented. "I think it would be better to go around this place separately. We can cover more ground, and anything we don't finish with we can come back and do later, like next week. Think about it; if we split up, then a lot of the digimon are going to know what we are looking for. So even if they don't have anything for us now, they will keep their eyes and ears open for what we need."

That explanation seemed to win Cody over, and as soon as he nodded, plans were being set in motion. It was decided that Mimi and Palmon—once Mimi got a hold of her—would walk along the shore, talking to any land digimon they found. Davis and Veemon would talk to the digimon who dwelled on or near the surface of the water, and Cody and submarimon would go to the bottom and talk to the digimon who dwelled there.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. I say we take about an hour to do this and call it a day. I don't know about you, Cody, but four hours isn't exactly enough sleep to go by when you've got school and soccer practice." Davis yawned loudly for emphasis.

"That's fine. Palmon and I may stay longer if we need to. I wouldn't want to do all that with no sleep either." Mimi commented with a cringe.

"Ok, see you guys in an hour!" Davis yelled over his shoulder, he and Veemon already running toward their destination with alacrity.

"Let's get diggin', Cody." Armadillomon said as they too began the trek toward the lake. Cody nodded and waved to Mimi before watching the girl walk back to the tv to find her partner.

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Tai's eyes snapped open before he fumbled with silencing the alarm on his cell phone. He'd set the alarm for 6 am so he could go to school early for soccer practice. It was Thursday, meaning he only had two more days to practice with his teammates before the big game on Saturday.

He sat up and stretched his arms above his head before stumbling ungracefully down the bunk ladder. He glanced at the bottom bunk briefly while walking, but immediately stopped as his heart nearly jumped from his chest.

Kari was shaking as she tossed and turned due to the obvious stress she was feeling. The most frightening to Tai, however, was not the distress, but that she was becoming almost…transparent, phasing in and out of view.

Tai had no time to think, and instead jumped into action. He dove to the bed, grabbed onto Kari's wrist and began shaking her to snap her out of it, but she remained unresponsive.

His panic went into overdrive.

He tried whispering her name, but knew that would do no good. If he spoke any louder with that much despair in his voice, he would wake his parents, and that's the last thing he needed at the moment.

Thinking quickly, he went to her desk and grabbed both of their digivices. He didn't know what good they would do—or if they would do anything, but he had to try. Racing back to her, he held both of their digivices in a vice-grip and once again took her by the wrist.

"Kari, fight them!" He whispered. "Use all of your strength…all of your light…all of _our _courage! Don't let them win!"

Both of their crests glowed a dim shade, but otherwise did nothing. Tai looked at the devices angrily and threw them down, frustrated that the only method he could think of was the least bit of help. Concentrating again on his increasingly pale sister, he continued trying to wake her for several more minutes before she started showing signs of life.

"That's it, Kari." He said, taking her one of her hands in both of his. "Come back." He repeated this until her phasing body became solid again and her natural color returned to her. She stopped shivering, and there was a long moment where she made no movement. Her body was completely still, and her breathing was so silent that—had Tai not been watching her intensely—it was hard to tell whether she was breathing at all. A few more minutes passed in this fashion, and just as Tai was formulating ideas as to what he could do, she opened her eyes.

Kari's breathing was heavy and uneven as her body tried to still itself from the aftershock of her trauma. Tai's hands still held onto hers until she was calm enough to sit up. What he did next was scoop her up and held her close to him. She was limp in his arms, but eventually responded by weakly wrapping her arms around his back. At this small movement, Tai officially breathed again.

He pulled back a few moments later and looked her up and down studying her body language for anything out of the ordinary that may have alerted him to other problems. Upon seeing nothing, his body relaxed slightly. When his eyes finally ascended back to her face though, he had the urge to hug her again. The look on her face now was one he had only seen a handful of times, most of which were when they were fighting very powerful enemies. It was the look that made him fight one hundred times harder at ridding the world of the evil they were facing. And, as he watched the blank look on her face change to a normal expression, he knew this time he would never know the extent of what was happening with her, because the determination in her eyes at that moment meant she had no intention of telling him.

He understood, in more ways than she would ever know. He couldn't even count the number of times he closed himself up after a particularly terrifying battle. It was a defense mechanism that enabled him to calm himself, and now Kari was utilizing it as well. She pulled away from his arms completely and ran a hand through her hair. She was exhausted and slightly nauseous, but kept her complaints quiet. The look on her brother's face was one of complete un-adultured concern, love and dedication. She knew that if she so much as _looked_ like she wanted him to stay, he would drop everything in a second.

"Go to soccer practice, Tai." She raised her head and her eyes displayed the strength she never wanted to acknowledge existed. "I'll be alright."

His eyes bore into hers for a few seconds before he nodded. He knew she wasn't alright, and part of him knew she didn't want to be left alone right then. But the look she gave him, the look of determination was one that he could not say no to. That look spoke volumes to him. She was saying that she wanted to try to be alright by herself. It was something that he could not fight her about no matter how much he wanted to. He pressed his lips to her forehead and stood from the bed. As he left the room to get ready, he felt those determined eyes seemingly burning into his back as he walked.

* * *

"Hey everyone!" Davis's booming voice resounded throughout the homeroom, earning him bewildered looks from the majority of his peers who were _still_ in the process of waking up.

"Morning, Davis." T.K. walked over and sat in front of his friend. "You're certainly cheerful. Any good news?"

T.K., who hadn't been assigned a job, was starved for news. It killed him to see everyone working so hard while he was forced to be home by 3:30pm and was not given a task other than to not worry. And because of his punishment, he wasn't even allowed to do the only thing required of him.

Davis smiled and put his arms above his head. "We're making progress. Mimi, Cody and I were in the digiworld this morning doing some recon, you could say. Me and Veemon ran into some otamamon, and they were really helpful. They gave us some info, but it isn't enough for me to say just yet. We're going back after practice today."

T.K. shook his head, confused and disheartened with the vague answer.

"Hey, I know I didn't find out much, but I also haven't talked to Mimi or Cody yet. We searched three different places in the one area, so we all probably have different info. You'll be the first to know once everything is figured out."

"I know. It's just frustrating."

"How long are you grounded for?"

"I'm not so sure now. My mom came home last night and said we were going to discuss it over dinner tonight."

"That's good news, dude. You can plead your case." Davis was the only one who was optimistic. As the teacher walked in, their voices lowered as they sat in their seats.

T.K. sighed. "I wouldn't be sure about it being a good thing."

"Just have faith, dude."

* * *

"Alright! I want 5 more laps and then hit the showers!"

The whistle rang and Tai, along with the rest of his team jumped at the command, all but sprinting the designated distance in the hopes of leaving faster. Because they only had about two more practice days, the coach got special permission to allow the team to practice through homeroom. And because of Tai's absence and overall distraction, the coach tripled the amount of work.

As Tai ran around the track, he thought about all that needed to be done over the next couple of days. Sora called him last night to inform him that she, Ken and Matt would meet briefly with their journals to sort through any underlying patterns the dark forces used to lure prey or control digimon. Along with that was the work he knew was being done on Davis, Cody and Mimi's end. He was aware that they made a trip that morning and that they planned another one that night or the next morning, so those two trips were enough to get word out about what was going on to other digimon.

When he finished his laps and showered, he would talk to Izzy to see what kind of progress he, Yolei and Joe were making. Knowing how those three operate, he had no doubt they had quite a lot of information so far.

Tai made it back to the starting point of the track, signifying the end of his five laps. His coach, who had been monitoring him specifically, came up behind him, slapping him on the back.

"Nice job, Kamiya!" He praised in his normal, booming voice. "Keep up that stamina and the win is as good as ours!"

He blew the whistle to move along any remaining players on the track and signaled everyone to gather around.

"I want everyone here tomorrow at 5:30am sharp! We'll do some scrimmaging and a few drills, and then no more official practice! I want everyone to be in top form! Good job today. Now get to class!"

Tai sighed in exhausted relief before running with the rest of the team to the locker room.

Classes went by impossibly slow for every digidestined as the anxiousness of the situation dominated their thoughts. Tai sent everyone an email telling them the next meeting would be tomorrow, which was Friday. This would be an important meeting, combining all of the information collected and applying them to the different theories circulated. Due to the importance of the mission, they could not get out of school fast enough.

When the final bell rang, everyone sprang into action.

Yolei and Izzy met at the school gate as quickly as possible. They were heading over to Joe's to collaborate the different dimensions referenced and map them out so the others could understand. Matt, Sora and Ken were meeting and then Mimi, Cody and Davis were as well. By the official meeting, Tai knew they would have enough to finally get started with a plan of attack. The sooner everything was over with, the sooner they could better protect the digital world and keep Kari out of harm's way.

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A/N: I can't even begin to express how sorry I am that this hasn't been updated in YEARS. I have a lot of things going on right now and it just seems like this (as well as a few of my other stories) have just been put on the backburner. I am still working on this and still hope to finish it in this century. Thank you to all who are still reading it and have left me such kind reviews.


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